As Hurricane Irene works its way up the east coast, some of the most densely populated areas of the northeast are bracing for the worst hurricane landfall since Hurricane Bertha in 1996. At the time, Bertha caused over $350 million (2008 US$) in damages and was responsible for 12 deaths.

Hurricane Irene is currently projected to impact many of the major east coast cities including Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and New York. Boston likely won't escape unscathed either.

Those in the path can expect to experience power outages from the high winds. There will be large amounts of rain deposited that will cause considerable flooding both along the coast and inland. The coasts will also have a major problem with beach erosion.

Weather Defender's hurricane tracking features can show you where the storm has been, where it's heading, wind probabilities, hurricane watches and warnings and everything else you need to stay ahead of the storm. You can see many of these in the image below.

For those on the east coast, be sure to stay safe and heed all public advisories.